Altered resting-state functional connectivity in cognitively preserved pediatric-onset MS patients and relationship to structural damage and cognitive performance

Objective:To evaluate resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and relationship to brain volumes and cognition in a sample of cognitively preserved pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.Methods:Sixteen cognitively intact pediatric-onset MS patients and 15 healthy age- and sex-matched controls underwent cognitive testing and 3T anatomical and functional MRI. Resting-state FC patterns were examined using region-of-interest-based timeseries correlations.Results:Compared to controls, pediatric-onset MS patients demonstrated higher FC of the precuneus, particularly with the anterior cingulate cortex (z=4.21, p<.001), frontal medial cortex (z=3.48, p<.001), and cerebellum (z=3.72, p<.001). Greater T2 lesion volume and lower normalized thalamic volume were associated with reduced FC of the thalamus, especially for FC with the right superior occipital region (t=−2.87, p=.0123 and t=2.27, p=.04 respectively). FC of the left frontal medial cortex was negatively correlated with composite cognitive z-sco...